KVIA(EL PASO, Texas) -- When a car careened toward a mother and students outside a Texas elementary school, she put herself in front of the children before being struck and killed, according to the school district.

Kharisma James and three students were struck by a driver who had apparently hit the accelerator instead of the brake by accident in the parking lot of Tippin Elementary School Monday afternoon, according to the El Paso Independent School District.

As the car headed forward, James stepped in front of the three children and took the brunt of the hit, witnesses reported, according to school district spokesman Gustavo Reveles.

James, 33, died at the scene, the district said, and the three injured students were taken to hospitals. James' relationship to the injured children was unclear.

Reveles called the elementary school and district "a tight-knit community and one that takes care of its own, especially the children."

"We're saddened by the event but not surprised that someone would sacrifice themselves in this manner," he told ABC News Tuesday.

The children were listed in varying conditions, including critical and critical but stable, Reveles said.

Counselors responded to the scene to help students and staff who witnessed the accident, the district said, and the driver was taken into custody but it’s unclear whether charges have been filed.

The school district called it a "tragic accident."

"At times like this, students process grief in many ways," the school district said in a statement, adding that counselors will be available at school Tuesday.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images(TAMPA, Fla.) -- The Governor of Florida issued a state of emergency in response to this year’s excessive red tide, the toxic algae bloom spreading across the West Coast of the Sunshine State and leaving beaches covered with piles of dead marine wildlife.

"I am issuing an emergency declaration to provide significant funding and resources to the communities experiencing red tide so we can combat its terrible impacts," said Governor Rick Scott in a statement on Monday.

The executive order issued by Scott will make additional biologists and scientists available to assist with clean-up and animal rescue efforts.

Two hours south of Tampa in Lee County, where red tide signs have been posted at more than 170 beach access points, the state will allocate additional funds for cleaning the beaches.

"I am also directing a further $900,000 in grants for Lee County to clean up impacts related to red tide –- bringing total red tide grant funding for Lee County to more than $1.3 million," Scott said.Other counties in the state that have been directly affected include Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough and Pinellas.

The state will also allocate $500,000 to assist local tourism boards, so that "communities continue to bring in the visitors that support so many Florida families and businesses."

"Red tide" refers to the natural phenomenon of toxic algae blooms and resulting wildlife die-off that has occurred many times along Florida's coasts. The first recorded instances was in the 1840s, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The blooms discolor the seawater and produce toxins that can sicken or kill fish, seabirds, turtles and marine mammals, such as manatees, according to the FWC. The animals can inhale the toxins through the air or become affected by consuming toxic prey. Piles of dead fish have been found along the West Coast of Florida.

ABC(NEW YORK) -- It has been a rainy summer in the Northeast and the entire East Coast with more flash flooding possible Tuesday.

There was more flash flooding Monday as Jonestown, Pennsylvania, received 7.7 inches of rain , while the area around Brick, New Jersey, received 7.83 inches. The same areas saw flooding over the weekend.

A storm system and stationary front will continue to slowly meander into the Northeast through Tuesday and produce more rain. Flash flood watches continue to be in place for New York and Pennsylvania because of the threat.

With daytime heating, showers and thunderstorms will fire up again in the Northeast and some of them could be heavy at times and produce flash flooding.

Most areas won't get a lot of additional rainfall but some could see another 2 inches of rain or more.

There is also a storm system moving through the central United States from the Southern Plains into the Midwest, over the next 48 hours, bringing heavy rain and possible flooding.

A flash flood watch has been issued from Oklahoma to Arkansas because of heavy rain.

Western heat and fires

Tuesday will be the hottest day of the week for the Northwest with temperatures near 100 degrees in Portland and into the 90s for Seattle.

Red flag warnings have been issued for erratic winds Tuesday for Oregon, California and Nevada.

The next couple of days will be hot for the Northwest but then a cooling trend will begin for the area.

For California and parts of Nevada, there will not be much of a break in the heat with temperatures staying near 100 degrees from Reno, Nevada, to Fresno, California.

Spencer Police(PAXTON, Mass.) -- A former Worcester County, Massachusetts, prosecutor died suddenly after a crowbar crashed through his windshield Monday.

John Madaio was driving his SUV in the town of Spencer when a crowbar that was kicked-up or fell from another car crashed through the windshield, the Spencer Police Department said. Madaio, 63, was struck in the head.

His car veered off the road, hit a curb and an empty car in a parking lot before it went over an embankment and came to a stop, police said.

First responders broke the passenger window to reach him, police said. He was taken to a hospital where he died.

Madaio, of Paxton, Massachusetts, "was a great father, great lawyer and extremely well-respected member of the DA’s office for more than 15 years," Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early said in a statement Monday.

"The entire DA’s office extends its heartfelt condolences to John’s wife Sue, his daughter Laura and his daughter and our colleague ADA Molly," Early continued. "John touched many people in his life with his sharp wit, his compassion and his legal abilities. He will be missed by all who knew him. This is a big loss for our community."

Recently, Madaio had been working as a defense attorney, Early said. One of his daughters currently works for the DA's office.

WJRT(MILLINGTON), Mich.) -- Police in Michigan say four girls managed to fight off a man who assaulted them over the weekend by throwing hot coffee on him.

The girls, ages 11 to 14, were leaving a gas station convenience store in Millington, Michigan, last week when a man grabbed one of the girls by the hair and attempted to kidnap her, according to police.

Officers with the Millington Police Department said the suspect, identified as 22-year-old Bruce Hipkins, followed the girls last Friday night and eventually grabbed one them “around the head and told her she was coming with him.”

“The other three girls kicked, hit, and threw their hot coffee on him,” the department said in a statement Saturday. “The suspect let the young girl go and grabbed another one of the girls by her hair. The suspect was again kicked and hit by the girls until he let her go and fled on foot.”

Two of the girls, sisters Allison, 11, and Lauren Eickhoff, 13, described the scary ordeal in an interview with Flint ABC affiliate WJRT on Monday.

"He said, 'You're coming with me.' And like, he grabbed my face," Allison added. "This cannot be happening; I thought it was a test at first, but then I'm like, 'This is real.'"

Lauren said she screamed and immediately jumped into action. She said their father told them to fight back whenever they felt they might be in danger.

"I grabbed my drink and chucked it at his head. I tried, I punched him in the head," Lauren said. “Seeing that your little sister was going to get taken is very scary."

The girls escaped to a nearby hotel and called for help. There were no injuries reported.

Officers caught up with Hipkins later on and arrested him on charges of unlawful imprisonment, assault and battery and two counts of criminal sexual conduct, police said.

Hipkins is being held at the Tuscola County Jail on a $250,000 bond. It was unclear if he had obtained an attorney as of early Tuesday.

Taos County Sheriffs Office(AMALIA, N.M.) -- A New Mexico judge agreed on Monday to release on bond five suspects who were arrested on child abuse charges and were alleged to have been training the children to carry out school shootings. The decision to release the suspects came against the wishes of the sheriff's department and FBI.

The suspects -- two men and three women -- were arrested last week at a makeshift compound in Amalia, New Mexico, where authorities rescued 11 emaciated children living in filthy conditions with very little food and no clean water, according to police.

They are also required to have weekly contact with their attorneys, the office said in a statement, adding that the suspects must also cooperate with the the New Mexico Children Youth and Families Division (CYFD), where the children are being held in protective custody.

The Taos County sheriff, undersheriff, prosecutors and an FBI agent involved in the case all argued the five adults should not be released, Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT reported. The judge, however, said they failed to articulate a "specific threat" and released them on bond.

Police discovered the decrepit compound, located near the Colorado state line, while searching for Wahhaj's 4-year-old son, Abdul, but he was not there. His mother reported him missing late last year and claimed his father kidnapped him.

Investigators found the malnourished children, ages 1 to 15, barefoot and wearing "rags for clothing," according to a complaint. Authorities recovered the buried remains of a young boy during a subsequent search of the compound on Aug. 9.

Prosecutors believe the remains were that of Wahhaj's son, who is disabled, according KOAT, but investigators say it could take weeks to verify the child's identification.

Mario Tama/Getty Images(UKIAH, Calif) -- The largest fire in California history turned deadly on Monday as a firefighter tending the blaze was killed.

There were few details on how the firefighter died in the Mendocino Complex Fire, northeast of Ukiah, California. The fire is burning near the Mendocino National Forest, about 140 miles northwest of Sacramento.

"The Mendocino Complex Unified Incident Commanders from CAL FIRE, and the United States Forest Service are deeply saddened to report the death of a firefighter on the Mendocino Complex," CAL FIRE sad in a statement. "Fact finding on the accident is ongoing and notification of the next of kin is in progress. More information will be released as it becomes available."

Officials said the firefighter was from Utah and was injured while working an active part of the fire. He was airlifted to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

The fire became the largest in state history last week, passing the Thomas Fire from December 2017 as it grew to over 283,000 acres. The fire has now grown to over 349,000 acres, but the Ranch Fire -- one half of the Mendocino Complex Fire -- is up to 59 percent contained.

The fire season has already been a hard one for firefighters working dozens of fires, especially in California.

Two firefighters were killed in the Ferguson Fire, which began on July 13 in Mariposa County, east of San Jose and burning in part of Yosemite National Park. Brian Hughes was killed on July 29 when he was struck by a falling tree. Hughes was the second firefighter to die in the blaze after Braden Varney was killed July 13.

The Carr Fire has been the deadliest of the wildfires to hit the West this season. Three firefighters have died in the blaze, which started on July 23 and has burned through 206,000 acres and destroyed 1,077 homes near Redding in the far northern Shasta County in California.

CAL FIRE officially lists two firefighter deaths in the blaze, though San Francisco ABC station KGO reported a third firefighter, Andrew Brake, was killed in a car accident traveling to the fire.

Five civilians were killed in the Carr Fire as well, including a worker for Pacific Gas & Electric.

Progress has been made, as the Carr Fire is now up to 63 percent contained, according to CAL FIRE.

This year has been the deadliest for firefighters since 2008, according to SF Gate.

iStock/Thinkstock(PAYSON, Utah) -- Just hours after being arrested and released on bail for allegedly assaulting his wife, a Utah man stole a plane and crashed it into his own home where his wife was staying, police said.

The man, 47-year-old Duane Youd, did not survive the crash Monday, officials stated.

Flames engulfed the house in the city of Payson after the crash and ensuing fire at 2:30 a.m.

Youd's wife as well as a boy were inside the house at the time of the crash. They were lucky they escaped and the plane did not hit other buildings or any power lines, police said.

Youd's biological children were not in the home at the time of the crash. Before stealing the plane, Youd called his biological children who were staying in the home where he later crashed and told them to "go stay at their mother's house" that night, which they did, police said.

Youd was an experienced pilot who had access to the twin engine Cessna 525 jet because he flew for the company that owned it, authorities said. He was the only one in the aircraft when it crashed and killed him.

Video taken by a neighbor showed flames coming out of the house and people watching from a distance. The neighbor said his mother heard the plane pass by twice before hearing the crash.

In another video taken after the crash, the engines of the jet can be heard continuing to whine and actually seemed to be revving up, even as the house goes up in flames.

The crash was the third incident with Youd that required authorities within a 12-hour period.

At 7:30 p.m., the night before, Youd had been arrested for assaulting his wife and was released on bail, police said.

Hours later, at 12:30 a.m., Youd called and asked a patrol officer be present at his house to "keep the peace" as he picked up belongings and his truck, officials said. There was no argument during this incident.

The plane crash took place just two hours later.

Police said Youd had also been arrested for domestic violence at the house in a previous incident within the past year.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be at the scene later Monday to investigate, officials said.

ABCNews.com(CLEARWATER, Fla.) -- The Florida man who invoked the "stand your ground" self-defense law after shooting a black man in a dispute over a parking space was charged Monday with manslaughter, officials said.

Michael Drejka, 48, was arrested Monday morning in the fatal July shooting of Markeis McGlockton in Clearwater, Florida -- an incident that was caught on video which sparked an uproar after its release.

The announcement that Drejka was charged with manslaughter provided McGlockton's family with some comfort even as they continue to mourn.

McGlockton's mother, Monica Moore, said at a news conference that she has been in a "daze" since her son's death.

"So today when I head that he [Drejka] was being charged, I guess I could start healing," Moore said.

McGlockton's father, Michael McGlockton, said he believed Drejka should have been arrested and charged "from day one."

"When I got the news today I was happy, I was ecstatic about it, but I'm just sorry that it took so long, you know, three weeks later," he said. "I know this is going to be a long road. We are up for the task and we just hope for a good outcome at the end."

Drejka was booked at the Pinellas County Jail and bond was set at $100,000. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday, at which time a judge will review his bond status and decide whether to appoint an attorney for Drejka, or if the defendant can afford to hire his own lawyer.

If convicted, Drejka faces up to 30 years in prison.

Bernie McCabe, the state attorney for Pinellas County, announced his decision to file charges against Drejka 12 days after receiving investigative reports on the case from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

"We have filed a formal charge, and he has been arrested, and he will now go through the court system," McCabe said in a statement.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri had initially declined to arrest Drejka after the gunman invoked the "stand your ground" defense, saying his decision was bound by the law.

"I support the State Attorney's decision and will have no further comment as the case continues to work its way through the criminal justice system," Gualtieri said in a statement on Monday.

McCabe said charging Drejka is "consistent with the decision-making process established under Florida law in this case."

McGlockton, 28, was shot on July 19 after he came out of a convenience store and saw Drejka berating his girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, about parking in a handicap zone. Surveillance video showed McGlockton shoving Drejka to the ground and Drejka, who had a legal concealed weapons permit, pulling a handgun and shooting McGlockton.

Attorneys for Jacobs, the mother of McGlockton's three young children, and McGlockton's parents have held several press conferences to say they do not believe Drejka should have been given immunity from arrest under "stand your ground."

"My first thought on hearing this news was: It's about time," said Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Jacobs.

"This self-appointed wannabe cop attempted to hide behind 'stand your ground' to defend his indefensible actions, but the truth has finally cut through the noise," Crump said in a statement. "I have full faith that this truth will prevail to punish this cold-blooded killer who angrily created the altercation that led to Markeis’ needless death. We will continue to fight until justice is brought for the family of Markeis McGlockton."

Michele Rayner, an attorney for McGlockton's parents, added: "This is a big step forward in the direction of justice, not only for Markeis' family but also for society as a whole."

Rayner pointed out that the security video shows McGlockton retreating from Drejka after he pushed the man down in an effort to protect Jacobs and his children. She said that it took four seconds for Drejka to make "the conscious decision" to shoot McGlockton.

"Obviously, we are very encouraged by today's turn of events, especially in light of the sheriff's refusal to do the right thing initially," Rayner said during Monday's press conference. "While we are very encouraged by what the State Attorney has done and by, we believe, making the right decision, we understand that this is a very long road. This is a first step among many steps and we have a long way to go. Our ultimate goal is a conviction in this case."

Rayner said Jacobs did not attend Monday's press conference because she had to take her 5-year-old son, Markeis Jr., to his first day of school.

"This is the first of many milestones in Mr. McGlockton's children's lives that he will miss because of Michael Drejka's actions," Rayner said.

Sacramento Police Department(SACRAMENTO) -- The suspected "Golden State Killer" is now facing charges for his 13th alleged murder, and the earliest one yet -- the killing of a college professor in central California in 1975.

Joseph DeAngelo, a 72-year-old former police officer, was arrested this April and charged with 12 killings, following decades in which California law enforcement officers were stumped by what became known as the "Golden State Killer" case.

DeAngelo is now accused of shooting to death Claude Snelling while allegedly trying to kidnap Snelling's daughter from the professor's Visalia home on Sept. 11, 1975, Visalia Police Chief Jason Salazar said at a news conference Monday.

DeAngelo was working as a police officer in Exeter, California, at the time of Snelling's murder, Salazar said.

While DNA was recovered from other of DeAngelo's alleged crimes, no DNA was available from the Visalia killing, Salazar said.

He now stands accused of 13 murders across five California counties.

DeAngelo is also believed to be behind a string of burglaries that terrorized Visalia in Tulare County in the mid-1970s, Salazar said.

A prowler would break into homes in the evening by prying open doors or windows, Salazar said. The intruder would rifle through belongings but rather than steal items of high value would instead take keepsake items, like pocketing one earring instead of a pair, Salazar said.

The burglar was also known to eat or prepare food in victims' homes, and some victims received strange phone calls after the robberies, Salazar said. These were practices common to the "Golden State Killer" after rapes and break-ins.

The Visalia break-ins ended after an officer caught a suspect trying to enter a home, Salazar said. The suspect shot at the officer, injuring him, but the officer was able to provide a description of the suspect, Salazar said.

Ballistic information allowed police to link a gun stolen in one of the break-ins to Snelling's killing, Salazar said.

DeAngelo is now facing a first-degree murder charge, Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward said Monday.

The "Golden State Killer" was believed to have left a trail of murders, rapes and home burglaries throughout California in the 1970s and 1980s, with the last known crime in 1986.

But no arrest was made for decades.

In the early 2000s, investigators were able to obtain the killer's DNA at one crime scene: The 1980 double murder of Lyman and Charlene Smith, who were bludgeoned to death at their Ventura County home.

Investigators then started reviewing rape kits -- which contained DNA samples from victims -- in other jurisdictions, said Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert.

One of those counties was Contra Costa, where recently retired investigator Paul Holes led the charge to use genealogy to find the killer, said Schubert. Holes spent nearly 25 years on this case, she said.

This year, investigators plugged the mystery killer's DNA into a genealogy database.

Based on the pool of people on the genealogy website, investigators were then able to build a family tree of the unknown killer’s relatives, who had submitted their DNA to the database on their own.

Investigators narrowed the search based on age, location and other characteristics, leading them to DeAngelo.

Authorities surveilled DeAngelo and collected his DNA from a tissue left in a trash. Investigators plugged his discarded DNA back into the genealogy database and found a match, linking DeAngelo's DNA to that gathered at multiple crime scenes, Schubert said.

DeAngelo is awaiting trial in Sacramento County. He has not entered a plea.

WFAA(DENTON, Texas) -- The parents of a 10-year-old boy with autism in Denton, Texas, say they are planning to take legal action after they received a video that showed their son being repeatedly held to the ground by his neck and handcuffed by a school resource officer.

In the events captured by the officer's body camera -- the footage was shared with ABC News and parts of which were corroborated with police reports -- the child, Thomas, appears to try to isolate himself in a cubbyhole when he saw a teacher moving toward him.

Eric Coulston, a Denton Police Department school resource officer, then stepped forward to help after the teacher pulled Thomas out of the cubbyhole, according to a police report. Coulston carried Thomas to a vacant room, as he kicked, screamed and struggled to get away, according to the footage.

"Do you want the handcuffs? Or not?" Coulston asked in the room, according to the video footage, holding the boy face-down on the ground by his neck, as Thomas continued to struggle.

Coulston then pulled the boy's arms behind his back and placed the handcuffs on the boy's wrists, adding, "We're back to where we were the other day."

"Wanna kick some more?" Coulston said.

"Get off," Thomas said repeatedly screaming as he sobbed.

Over the next two hours, Thomas was placed in restraints once more, held down by his neck for long periods of time, and allowed to sit up without the handcuffs when calm, according to a police report. The second time he's placed in handcuffs was when he began to tear up tissues into small pieces and threw them in the direction of his teacher, the report says, adding that another time he slid himself towards the door before he was dragged back to the other end of the room and held down by his arms.

"It's abuse, the torture, and the hell that he was put through," Emily Brown, Thomas' mother, told ABC affiliate WFAA in Dallas of the April 30 incident.

The parents say it was only when they noticed Thomas had severe bruises on his body that they suspected he had been subjected to what they believed was an excessive use of force.

Thomas' parents said they had a detailed behavior intervention plan in place with the school, which listed a set of de-escalation techniques for when he became agitated. Nowhere in that list, they said, was the use of restraints or holding him down to the ground with force permitted.

"It was abusive. It was excessive. It was vicious. It was calculated," said Michael Holum, an advocate consultant representing the parents of the boy, Emily and Robert Brown.

What irks the parents most, Holum, who heads the Texas-based Advocacy Behavior Consulting, told ABC News, was that there did not appear to be any serious or imminent danger to the school authorities, himself or others when Thomas was placed in handcuffs.

"If he's being put in handcuffs just because of a tissue, that's outrageous," he said. "I do this professionally in over 50 districts. This is the worst I have ever seen and there's no close second."

Holum said on April 23, a few days before the events took place in the video, Emily Brown walked in on her son in handcuffs.

Police say they will release footage from that separate incident to the Browns on Wednesday, but if events in that video of April 23 are similar, Holum said it will show a pattern of behavior on the part of authorities in their treatment of Thomas.

On April 23, Emily Brown found her son restrained in handcuffs at the school, things were calm and Thomas was sitting quietly in handcuffs, according to Holum. At the time, the mom didn't realize what the authorities may have done before handcuffing the child -- possibly holding him down and using excessive force, Holum said. She also took what they said at face value, Holum added, which was that Thomas was harming others and disrupting the classroom.

It was only when the Browns saw the bruises on Thomas from the second incident on April 30, Holum said, that they began to suspect something was wrong and asked for the footage.

When the parents received the footage on Tuesday, Holum said, Emily Brown was horrified and broke down in tears.

"The parents believe that both agencies, Denton Police and the Denton Independent School District, in and through their employees, participated in the events captured on the body-cam video," Holum said. "They are seeking action, civil or criminal, that will keep these particular public employees from ever being able to be near children with disabilities again."

The Browns are interviewing attorneys for their suit.

In a written summary by the Denton Independent School District, Thomas was described as engaging in self-harming behaviors and that he engaged in "physically assaultive and unsafe behaviors."

"SRO Coulston deemed handcuffs appropriate a second time in order to minimize the student's ability to harm himself or engage in acts of violence against others," according to the report.

The Denton Police Department Office of Professional Standards initiated a review of the incident and no violations were found, a statement by the City of Denton said. Coulston is still employed as a school resource officer at a middle school in the school district. He did not immediately respond to ABC News’ direct requests for comment.

The Browns, meanwhile, said they "vehemently disagree" with the findings that there was no violation of policy or laws. The parents said they want an independent investigative agency, either from the state or the federal government, to conduct an investigation.

"We as parents will never stop fighting for our son," a statement from the parents said, "or other children, so that they can be safe within the walls of their school and free of physical, emotional and psychological [abuse] at the hands of the very people that are publicly employed to protect them."

KOMO via ABCNews.com(FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash.) -- Grieving Orca whale who hold on to her dead calf for more than 2 weeks, has let go of the dead body of her offspring.

The 30-year-old southern resident killer whale who was spotted pushing the corpse of its short-lived offspring since 24 July, 30 minutes after it gave birth to her baby at least until 17 days later, has finally let go of her dead calf, according to researcher.

On the afternoon of August 11, the orca whale, J35, also known as Tahlequah vigorously chased a school of salmon with her pod-mates in mid-Haro Strait in front of the Center for Whale Research for a half mile - no longer carrying the deceased baby that she had carried for at least seventeen days and 1,000 miles, according to Center for Whale Research.

Ken Balcomb, founder of the Center for Whale Research who has been monitoring J35 since she gave birth to her short-lived baby, saw J35 again on Sunday. This Monday morning, Balcomb is on his boat to find her to observe her behavior.

"I feel much relieve," Balcomb told ABC News before getting on his boat.

"I'm hoping this ordeal is over."

“Her tour of grief is now over and her behavior is remarkably frisky,” Center for Whale Research wrote on its website.

Telephoto digital images taken from shore show that this mother whale appears to be in good physical condition following her record-setting ordeal, according to Center for Whale Research.

There had been reports from brief sightings by whale-watchers two days ago that J35, Tahlequah, was not pushing the calf carcass in Georgia Strait near Vancouver, British Columbia, the website says. It went on saying that “now we can confirm that she definitely has abandoned it.”

Researcher initially planed to study the body of the dead calf to to find out what lead to her death, but the body of the dead baby not seen in the water.

“The carcass has probably sunk to the bottom of these inland marine waters of the Salish Sea, and researchers may not get a chance to examine it for necropsy,” the website says.

ABC News(PHOENIX) -- Police are searching for a 19-year-old Phoenix woman who disappeared after leaving work more than a week ago.

Kiersten Bragg said her daughter, Kiera Bergman, left her job on the morning of Aug. 4, but doesn't know if she ever made it home.

“I don’t know if she ever made it back to her apartment or not. I haven’t really talked to anybody that saw her there, so I’m not quite sure where she was last seen and I’m not really getting information from people about that,” Bragg said in an interview with Good Morning America on Monday. “She does have a boyfriend. ... Last I heard they were together and that is who picked her up from work that morning.”

Bragg said she last spoke with Bergman via text on July 30, but she wasn’t “her normal, happy self.” Bergman left San Diego in March and moved into an apartment with her boyfriend near Phoenix, where she had recently started a new job, her mother said.

“I don’t know, maybe circumstance in her life when she came out here you know caused her to maybe have some anxiety or stuff about what she was going through,” she said. “That’s when I noticed a lot of her moods and everything. That's when she started changing, when she started dating this guy and coming out here, so I do believe that a lot -- that has to do with that relationship.”

Bragg and her husband arrived in Arizona from California last week to help with the search. The family says Bergman isn’t the type of person who would willingly disappear and cut communication with her family and friends.

Her mother also questioned reports that she had left to “hang out” with a guy she’d just met.

“To that text message that stated that she was going to hang out with a guy somewhere she met at a store, a couple days ago, that to me is not my daughter,” Bragg told GMA. “That is not something that she would just do. And then for her to leave, and leave her purse with her wallet and ID there at the apartment, that’s not normal neither -- that’s why I feel like there’s something not right here.

“We are going to find her, we are going to find out what happened and we're going to bring her home,” she added.

The family said it held a vigil of “hope” near the young woman’s apartment over the weekend and thanked her community for their support.

“We did have the one out where we live that was some friends family and church family, and we did the one here last night. I want to clarify it’s not a vigil for a memorial,” she said. “We don’t think she’s gone, it’s more of a vigil for hope. ... We all gathered and we prayed for her and for the police officers that are trying to find her.”

ABCNews.com(SEATTLE) -- The flight data recorder and "components" of the cockpit voice recorder have been recovered from the Horizon Air plane stolen from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and crashed on an island in Puget Sound on Friday night.

Eckrote said the recorder was "intact however the outer case was exposed to heat distress."

The data recorder will be sent Monday to the NTSB lab in Washington, D.C., to be analyzed this week by NTSB and FBI investigators, according to a source.

The FBI reported human remains were found as well. While the assumption is they are the remains of Russell, they have yet to be officially confirmed by the medical examiner.

"While the focus of our investigation thus far has centered on Richard Russell, 29, of Sumner, Washington, the FBI is awaiting the results of a review by the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office," the FBI said in a statement.

The Pierce County sheriff said following the crash there were no passengers on board the plane.

Russell was described as "suicidal" by the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. He worked as a baggage handler at the airport for 3 1/2 years and was married before his death.

"On behalf of the family, we are stunned and heartbroken," family friend Mike Mathews said in a statement Saturday. "It may seem difficult for those watching at home to believe, but Beebo was a warm, compassionate man. It is impossible to encompass who he was in a press release. He was a faithful husband, a loving son, and a good friend. A childhood friend remarked that Beebo was loved by everyone because he was kind and gentle to each person he met."

WSBTV(COLLEGE PARK, Ga.) -- Police arrested a Georgia man on Sunday after he allegedly shot and killed his live-in girlfriend and stabbed a police dog during a manhunt.

Randy Young, 31, allegedly shot the 27-year-old woman several times in the face at his apartment in College Park, Georgia, on Sunday morning and fled the scene on foot, according to police.

Police said the shooting happened “in front of the woman’s step-father,” who identified Young as the shooter and told the responding officers the direction he fled, according to the Clayton County Sheriff's Office.

Police did not release the woman’s identity, but her family said she went to the apartment with her stepfather to retrieve her belongings.

She was trying end her relationship with Young when the shooting happened, according to police.

“She had an incident with him before and she asked me to call the cops before, and I did. Now for this to happen, it’s heartbreaking,” a neighbor told Atlanta ABC affiliate WSBTV on Sunday. “It’s sad because a mother with children -- a very nice, pleasant young lady -- is dead because of domestic violence.”

Police said the woman managed to run away and get help but she died later as a result of her injuries.

Officers located Young in a wooded area about five hours after the shooting, according to the office, which credited its K9, Oldin, for capturing the suspect. Young allegedly stabbed the dog twice -- once in the neck and once in the jaw -- before he was apprehended and taken into custody.

“K9 Oldin bravely defended himself while being stabbed and was able to bite Young in return aiding in his apprehension. Young had a gun in his waistband area that Officers and Deputies found while apprehending him,” the Clayton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Sunday.

Oldin was taken to a nearby animal hospital where he underwent surgery for his injuries. He is recovering and expected to survive, according to the statement.

“The Sheriff went to the hospital to pay K9 Oldin a visit to make sure he was ok, and personally thank him for a job well done in getting a no good murderer off of the streets,” the statement said. “On the other hand, Young will not receive a visit from the Sheriff while he is being treated for his dog bite wounds.”

Young was charged with murder and aggravated assault and is currently being held at Clayton County jail. It was unclear if he had obtained an attorney as of Monday morning.